In Jan 2020 the BuzzFeed Book Club read Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson — a wacky, heartwarming story about a nontraditional family. To get in the spirit of things, we asked members about other fictional families they love.
Here's what they had to say:
The Bridgertons from the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn
"My favorite book family has to be Julia Quinn's Bridgerton family in the series of the same name. Set in the Regency era of England, it is a romance book series to savor. Not only is it well written and romantic, it is often hilarious. The books follow the romantic entanglements of the Bridgerton family, each book devoted to the romance and shenanigans of one of the siblings — always with an HEA." —Dot Salvagin
The Spiers from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
"The way they came to support Simon after his coming out as gay warmed my heart. They still saw him as their brother and son, no matter what. To this day I still cry watching the scene between his mother and him." —Jessica De Leon
The Red Feathers from There There by Tommy Orange
"My favorite fictional family — for 2019 at least — is the extended Red Feather family from There There by Tommy Orange. Although I enjoyed all of the character's stories, I especially enjoyed Jacquie and Orvil Red Feathers' stories, and their family history." —Vivian Taylor
The Plums from the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich
"Funny, dysfunctional, but always sticking together." —Kell Anklam
"My mom and I both enjoy the Stephanie Plum series, and we still joke and laugh about how dysfunctional her family is." —Elisha Roberts
The LeBlancs from All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
"I read All the Light We Cannot See at least once per year because I adore the LeBlanc family and, by extension, Madame Manec. They are all fighting their own battles, yet they are all so strong in their own ways — and they all contribute to Marie-Laure's survival during the siege of Paris and then Saint-Malo. I never get tired of reading this story. There is always a detail I missed in the previous 50 readings which illuminates the story (no pun intended) in a completely new way for me. Reading about their strength is such a heartwarming experience during the winter months." —Jennifer Dickson
The Solars from A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares by Krystal Sutherland
"Everyone in the Solar family has quirks that make them believe their family is cursed — but they all accept each other for it! The father is agoraphobic, and no one tries to force him to leave; the daughter Esther brings a boy she's been seeing to have dinner with him. Esther's mother has a gambling problem that they're managing, and since her brother is terrified of the dark, every light is taped on at all times. Esther herself has a list of worst nightmares because the family believes their curse is that each person will be killed by whatever their biggest fear is. She thinks that if she has her list and avoids everything on it, she'll be able to beat the curse. I just love how they all accept each other, even when they're annoyed because they're affected by one of these quirks. They're super supportive of each other." —Kristia Peschka
The Forests from The Wedding Party and Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory
"I just love the mother-daughter relationship between Maddie and her mom Vivian — it mimics the relationship my mom and I had while she was alive. They're always on the phone, and their closeness is what I love and miss." —A. Clemons
The Bennetts from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
"My favorite fictional family is now, and always will be, the Bennetts from Pride and Prejudice. I love the dynamic between all the sisters and the parents, but I especially love the banter between Mr. And Mrs. Bennett! I have taken to saying 'Mr. Bennett, oh how you vex my nerves!' whenever something slightly annoying happens." —Hayley Starshak
The Foxmans from This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
"So many great family stories revolve around death and the multitude of ways humans struggle with these events, and this book does a fantastic job of maintaining the humor and interconnectedness of families and describing their changes over time." —Katie O'Leary
The Golds from The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
"The family includes four siblings who visit a psychic as children. She tells them each the day they will die. The news affects them each differently and informs the way they live their lives." —Bethany Whitemyer
The Joneses, Iqbals, and Chalfens from White Teeth by Zadie Smith
"Irie Jones, a young woman of mixed English Jamaican descent, struggles with her parents' cultural apathy and is desperate to know exactly who she is in the melting pot of modern London. She is desperately in love with Millat Iqbal, a family friend and the younger of a set of twins of Bengal descent. His father, Samad, tries to push him to be a devout Muslim, but Millat, a malleable and insecure young man, is drawn towards a more radical, dangerous sect of Islam. Samad sends Millat's twin Magid to Asia in the hopes that he will become a devout, god-fearing man if protected from the corruption of London. Ironically, despite his father's attempts to shape his opinions by sending him away, Magid becomes a scientist and scholar, involved in a genetic project that goes against his father's beliefs. The Chalfen family, a white middle-class family, is involved in the education and 'care' of Irie, Millat, and Magid, despite their parents' objections on religious and cultural grounds. The book is comedic, mysterious, sometimes dark, and becomes more and more tense as opinionated and desperate family members try to navigate intergenerational and interclass differences against the background of a diverse, angsty London community. It's not only a beautiful story of family but a telling portrait of an increasingly globalized world." —Olivia Nixon-Hemelt
The Cuthberts from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
"I would want to be part of the Cuthbert family in the Anne of Green Gables books. I just loved those books as a kid. Marilla had a dry wit and Matthew was very understanding. I used to want to live on Prince Edward Island growing up too!" —Kristie Kelarek
The Marches from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
"I read the book so many times when I was younger and, being an only child, I was fascinated by the dynamics of sisterhood. Each sister was so different from the next, yet I saw parts of my own self in each of them. Regardless of the time period, the March sisters are relatable, and their relationships and struggles stand the test of time." —Ashley Cooper
"I love how each of the sisters is like a point in a compass — each is their own unique person pointing in their own direction, but they are all connected at their core!" —Brittney Golden
The Stampers from Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey
"My favorite fictional family is the Stampers, the Oregon logging family in Ken Kesey’s Sometimes a Great Notion. They’re idiosyncratic, dysfunctional, stubborn, hilarious, and real — from the patriarch Henry to the prodigal son Leland. The family drama is engrossing through all 700+ pages." —Alex Jacquez
The Baylors from the Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews
"I like how supportive the Baylors are of each other as a family, and the kookiness of each of the characters — particularly the armored-car-building grandmother." —Alyssa Ceretti
The Sweetwine twins from I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
"I first was intrigued by this novel because I myself have a twin brother, and I enjoyed it for how honest it was about the relationship of twins. Jude and Noah grow up close but as they grow older they become distant for a number of reasons. Being a twin is like a world of its own — it's a special connection only twins can understand, and I like how this book conveyed that connection even when it isn't the best circumstances for the characters." —Maria Contreras
The family from Trail of Broken Wings by Sejal Badani
"I loved the family members — and their idiosyncrasies — of Trail of Broken Wings. It's such a wonderful story of self-discovery." —Jeri Bitney
The chosen family from Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
"It isn't a family in a traditional sense, but I love the relationships in Tales of the City. They all care for each other in a very familial way — with all of the care, drama, and heartbreak of any family dynamic." —Jen Kennedy
And of course: the Weasleys
"I love the Weasleys because they remind me a lot of my own family. I come from a big family (I'm the oldest of five kids) and the relationships between the Weasley parents and siblings are very similar to those of my own parents and siblings. One of my favorite scenes is in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Harry is spending Christmas with the Weasleys, and everyone is gathered in the living room listening to Mrs. Weasley's favorite singer on the radio. Mrs. Weasley is enthralled with the music, while the rest of the family is either disinterested or doing other things. Fleur Delacour, in particular, does not like the singer and keeps talking very loudly, causing Mrs. Weasley to keep turning the volume up louder and louder. This scene reminded me very much of my family together at Christmas, and I love it." —Mary Overcash
"Would it be weird to say the Weasleys from the Harry Potter series are my favorite fictional family? They love and protect each other and stand together to defend what is right!" —Susan Berg
"They may not have much in the way of material possessions but they are rich in so many other ways — not the least of which is love!" —Cat Zachary
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